This blog is the last in a series of eight features about the opportunities and challenges within AI technology. It was originally published by Delegate.
Artificial Intelligence will rapidly become an integrated and natural part of our daily lives – and much of the ‘future’ is already here.
So much has happened with Artificial Intelligence over the last one and a half years, and we have certainly only seen the tip of the iceberg. Looking into the future is, therefore, difficult, if not impossible.
Firstly, the ‘future’ concerning AI cannot extend more than a year or two. It is simply impossible to predict further development in this rapidly changing area. We will encounter many interesting and challenging tendencies that we don’t know about now, including new ethical dilemmas and potential threats from criminals and hostile governments who won’t care much about the EU AI Act.
Secondly, what most people consider the future is essentially already here and being used by businesses and individuals. Daily life is changing, and AI is becoming a natural part of it—not just when we are working but also how we are as humans. For instance, take a photo of your fridge and ask what meals could be made from its contents. Or draw a sketch of a new website on a napkin, take a picture of it, and ask ChatGPT to generate the code.
“It is not all daisies and roses with AI. Can we trust a video now that everybody can create deep fakes? How do we avoid people being manipulated on a micro-scale without noticing? And is real art a thing from the past? Now, everyone can be an artist just by having an idea. Still, I think the benefits from AI far outweigh the challenges.“
Erik David Johnson, Chief AI Officer at Delegate
If you work with projects, you will soon receive much more help from personal assistants like Copilot. When creating a new project on your device, the assistant will suggest descriptions, tasks, and processes based on your patterns and the data from previous projects. Users are amazed by this AI intuition, which, in many cases, seems to understand their ways of working better than themselves.
However, digital assistants are not limited to office workers. Copilots will also assist frontline workers in their daily tasks, such as serving as an extended brain integrated into augmented reality glasses.
In the longer run, AI systems will be equipped with a much broader ‘world knowledge’ and ontology—the philosophical study of being—and then we will see AI models participate in the human game for real.
We will also face more ethical and regulatory dilemmas, such as how to integrate Artificial Intelligence and robots into the care sector. AI cannot, and probably should not, substitute human beings in caring for elderly or sick people. It will be able to signal empathy and say the right things, but it may not be trustworthy for real – simply because you will know it is simulating.
“My major concern is related to greed or shareholder greed. Whether a company is using AI as a cost-cutting exercise, a quality exercise, or an improved work-life exercise, they must be not only looking at short-term profitability.”
Peter Charquero Kestenholz, Founder, Head of Innovation & AI at Projectum
On the other hand, studies have shown that humans working with challenged people can experience ‘empathy fatigue.’ A robot won't run out of empathy and would not have to go home at four in the afternoon. Maybe patients would prefer a human hand for some issues and choose a robot to assist with using the toilet and shower to maintain their dignity.
The use of Artificial Intelligence will not be a matter of either-or, but both-and. This applies very much to the individual person and their willingness or unwillingness to accept and appreciate new technologies.
Some can’t get enough; others are more skeptical or nostalgic, and most are probably somewhere between. You might love vintage watches, enjoy the fun and discomfort of driving and maintaining the old car, or appreciate the crispness of vinyl records – and yet also embrace the features of a smartwatch, the safety and comfort of an electric vehicle, and the unlimited access to music everywhere in their Spotify app.
Regardless, Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. While the way most people work is changing rapidly, there is an understandable fear that jobs will be lost. Some people might be forced to find another career path due to technology, but that is not new. AI will instead, in most cases, be a helpful partner or expert to assist rather than displace human workers. Just like the saying: ‘AI will not replace you, but a person using AI will.’
